Foundation Survival Kits

Many visitors to this blog are interested in putting together survival or emergency kits. Regular readers will be aware that I don't regard a little tin full of gizmos an ideal start.

If you have such a kit, one of the first things you should add to it is a mylar space blanket. These can be carried on your person at all times and can provide you with warmth and protection from the rain. And they only cost a few bucks!

Recent discussions with friends have made me reflect that many of the items in a suggested list of equipment fall under the heading “nice to have/ gadgets”. Your starting point in putting together a kit should be those items you might class as “really in trouble if your don't have”.

With this criteria firmly in mind, I would base any kit around three items. These would be:

• A blanket.
• A fire kit.
• A good knife.

You can use a sleeping bag instead of a blanket, but ideally it should be one that can easily be adapted as clothing. “Budget” rectangular bags may be more suitable than more expensive “mummies”, so keep an eye out for bargains and promotions at big stores. Poncho liners are an alternative to blankets and can often be found for a cheaper price. Both original style or versions with head openings or hoods are suitable. A couple of blanket pins added to your kit can help in making or blanket or similar into a cloak. (Not sure if you can magnetize blanket pins) If you have a spare space blanket throw it into the kit as extra insulation.

Fire kit is the basic kit described elsewhere. A pair of disposable lighters and some cotton wool. If you are female you might wish to replace the cotton wool with some tampons. As well as the intended use they can be used for tinder or as wound dressings. If you want you can put your fire kit in a little Altoids or tobacco tin and seal it up. Throw in some matches and/or some birthday candles if you wish. Fire drills, fire pumps and flint and steels are very nice but you can get dozens of disposable lighters for the same money. When you are cold and tired a lighter is simpler and quicker.

What is a “good knife”? There are a number of suggestions in my book “Survival Weapons”. In short, a full-tang fixed blade, single-edged and not less than seven inches. My first choice is one of my kukris. If on a budget look around the gardening section. A mass-produced billhook or machete is often more capable than more expensive smaller knives.

These three items constitute the foundation of any good emergency kit. The cost is reasonable so you can probably put several together within a reasonable period of time. The three items form a relatively compact package that can be placed in a daypack, the bottom of a wardrobe or the trunk of a car. For a kit for a young child you may wish to replace the knife and fire kit with a flashlight and whistle.

Friends of mine said they would add sewing kits, fishing kits and/or an AM/FM radio. Some of these are useful, some are nice to have but I do not regard them as essential, even though my sewing kit has seen considerable use over the years! If expanding the kit the next items that I would recommend are:

• A rain poncho.
• Bottle(s) of water.
• Roll of toilet paper in a waterproof bag.

The rain poncho can be worn or can be rigged up as a shelter or windbreak. It can be used as a waterproof wrap for your other garments when river crossing and if packed right can be even be a floatation aid. It can be combined with a poncho liner or blanket to form a sort of sleeping bag. You can even rig it to catch rainwater for drinking. Shop around and you can find rain ponchos at a price you can tolerate.

How much water to put in you kit will depend on your local environment. In some places where water is plentiful you may need no more than a litre bottle in your kit. Generally I would recommend at least two litres, perhaps four. Two litre soda bottles are a very good choice for storing water in a kit. They come “free” with the soda. Wash them out. Boil some tap water, let it cool slightly and fill the bottles with it. Loosely cap and let the water in the bottles cool to about hand temperature. Add a couple of drops of bleach to each bottle and seal. If you wish you can seal the cap on with wax and/or tape. The bleach breaks down into salt and water, which is harmless at this concentration. In fact this constitutes a trace amount of electrolytes.

Truly sterile water, which the above process should have produced, will be good for years and will not “go off”. Wrap the bottles inside your blanket to keep them out of the light, just to be extra sure.

FEMA estimate a person needs a (US) gallon of water per day, but half of this is intended for hygiene. If it really is an emergency you may have to forgo your daily shampoo and shave and let the pits smell a little. Priority should be given to washing wounds and cleaning the hands before eating or medical procedures. Used intelligently a gallon should last you a couple of days at least.

You can buy water bottles of about a gallon capacity for a kit if you want, but I think a pair of 2 litre soda bottles are easier to carry, as well as being cheaper. See my free knot book for how cordage such as string or paracord can be rigged as a carrier for a bottle.

The roll of toilet paper is a useful but very cheap addition to the kit. In addition to the obvious use, it can be used for cleaning wounds and fire starting. In one of my favourite movies a character stops a truck by running streamers of toilet paper across the road. The trucker is so surprised he hits the brakes. Appropriately coloured toilet paper can be used for signalling!

The above six items form the basis of a fairly capable emergency kit. Even if within a modest budget it should be possible to construct a kit for every member of the family. Relatively compact, a kit can be stored in the bottom of a wardrobe, form the foundation of a bug-out bag or tucked away in the trunk of a car. A warm hat/ headover, bandana and gloves are useful further additions. If we want to make the list a round seven, then a metal canteen cup or equivalent can be added.

Disaster relief organisations should stockpile such kits. I suspect certain governments have large surpluses of ponchos and liners that can no longer be issued since they are not in the latest camouflage pattern. If not, manufacture ponchos and liners in high-viz colours. This is a good option for kits to be sent overseas. Makes them harder to be used for military purposes. A fire-kit tin with lighters, tampons and matches can be put together for a couple of dollars. Bags of toilet paper and sealed bottles of sterile water can be mass-produced. Certain factions will doubtless squwit their britches at the idea of handing out knives, so I suggest these “agency kits” have a flint and steel of a design which still gives the survivor a useful cutting edge. Perhaps the striker could be the sort of credit card-sized tool that includes a can-opener and other tools.

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The Books

EDC Shopping List.

The other day I had cause to look in one of my boxes of outdoor gear. Various containers that I thought might prove useful. Items brought out of curiosity or sometimes just for their novelty. Gifts from friends. Some are milestones from my path of understanding. Most of it I will never use. Either I have acquired better alternatives or my requirements have changed. So much money spent over the years that I could very much use now. Sadly most of this stuff has very little resale value.

“If I knew then what I knew now” I could have saved myself so much time and money. This inspired me to think about the idea of a prepper/survival shopping list. If you have just come into the field, what should you be looking to buy first?

Hopefully my article on “Foundation survival kits” has proved a good start. A fire kit, bottle for carrying water and bag of toilet paper will have been easy to acquire. A poncho and liner or blanket will have cost a bit more but probably did not break the bank. You may be saving up for a good survival knife, but have hopefully bought a machete or hatchet to serve in the meantime. 

 

Most of the items suggested for the foundation are relatively bulky, however. They are “bag” items rather than things you can keep on your person all the time. If you have a good “skin-level survival EDC” what you can find in your environment or in your pack is a bonus.

The good news is that you can build up a good EDC without a great outlay of cash. My article on skin-level gear mainly listed my personal items. I have been asked for a more general list, so this might as well be a shopping list. As before, I will concentrate on the items you carry and save a discussion of clothing for another day.

Pocket Knife: This will probably be the most expensive item on this list. In an emergency this may be the only knife you have available, so it makes sense to get a good one. That said, as a cash-strapped youth I carried a Chinese penknife. It had a really good assortment of tools and the only trouble it ever gave me was a corkscrew straightening out. With my first full-time pay-cheque I brought a genuine Swiss army knife. In my personal list you will note I also have a mini-Swiss army knife (SAK), a Leatherman Squirt and a number of other tools. Some redundancy and backup is always wise. My preference is a Swiss army knife but many of you will be tempted by full-size multi-pliers/ multi-tools. My SAK and Squirt together weigh several ounces less than many full-size multi-pliers, but the choice is yours. Put a loop of cord on your knife so you can secure it to belts or snap-links when necessary.

If you wear glasses and opt for an SAK buy the mini-screwdriver that fits in the corkscrew.

Optional is a small sharpening implement. Mine is a small metal card with diamond dust on one side. Small whetstones and other devices are alternatives.

Knives are not designed for prying, especially folding ones. A pocket prybar is a good addition to your EDC.

Lighter: The most basic fire kit is to carry a lighter. Get the type with a wheel. Even if empty it can still be used to create sparks. Multiple disposable lighters can be brought in budget stores for about a buck.

Bandana: Bandanas can also be found for a modest price. Multiple uses.

Space Blanket: These can be found for very reasonable prices, which is good since they are one of the most important survival items that you can carry.

Flashlight: Flashlights can get really expensive, so it may be sometime before you save up for the one you want, especially if you want a tactical, waterproof kubotan that will survive a nuclear attack. In the meantime, small LED lights such as copies of the Photon II can be found on ebay. Carry one on your keyring.

Whistle: A whistle is another useful addition to your keyring. Budget stores and ebay have these. If you live or travel where temperatures often drop below zero make sure your whistle is non-metallic.

Cordage: Cordage can be put to many uses, but how much for EDC? About two metres/ a fathom/ an armspan of paracord is probably a good start. Or you can carry a spare pair of long bootlaces. Buying a hank of paracord is probably prudent. You will need it for some of the other items.

Dental floss: For lighter cordage I carry a compact container of dental floss. This fits in my pocket pouch of medical items. A hank of braided fishing line or kite string is an alternative.

Pencil with tape: Another “non-medical” addition to my pocket pouch is a short pencil, wrapped in a length of electrical tape. A detachable eraser protects the point.

Chalk: Chalk is useful for marking trails or leaving messages. Half a stick of white or light coloured, half a stick of dark.

Safety Pins: Useful for failed zippers and other wardrobe malfunctions. May be used to drain blisters or possibly as improvised fish-hooks. Mine ride in a little plastic bag with a couple of hair pins and paper clips.

Needle and Thread: At skin-level this is a single needle, already threaded with about a metre of “invisible” thread. Experiment with magnetizing the needle. You will need to select a method for protecting you from the point. Mine rides in a “sheath” made from a drinking straw.

Compass: If starting out, avoid tiny button “survival” compasses. They like to hide in the corners of pockets and pouches. I have to keep my larger clipper compass in a container to avoid this. For about a buck or two you can find budget baseplate compasses on ebay. These are good entry-level items and you can use them to teach yourself some mapwork. They weigh about an ounce and you should be able to find room for one in your EDC. Add a lanyard so you can secure it to your person. A whistle is a good addition to a compass lanyard. I prefer to use non-metallic whistles on compass lanyards.

Condoms: Condoms have a number of survival uses. Keep them away from your needle!

First Aid Kit: Your skin-level medical kit is for immediate treatment of minor injuries, i.e. actual “first aid”. For longer duration problems have a more extensive kit in your bag. When you have the option, use the items in your bag before your EDC. Budget stores and ebay sell little first aid pouches that will fit in a cargo pocket. Often they come with some medical items included. The contents may need a little tweaking but you can create a very useful pocket first aid kit for very little outlay. Many of the items listed above can be fitted in the pouch. I even got my space blanket in mine.

Personal Medication: This will vary with the individual. In some environments this would include a supply of anti-malarials.

Tissues or Toilet Paper: A ziplock bag with a few metres of toilet paper. Obviously, have a larger supply in your pack and use that in preference to your “emergency” EDC supply. If you have a cold or nosebleed this saves your bandana. Paper can be used as tinder and the bag used to carry water. The entire package can be useful padding for other items in a cargo pocket. If, like me, you seem to accumulate lots of paper napkins from takeaways, use these instead. A very useful addition to your kit that costs virtually nothing. For low-level use I carry a small bag with just a few paper napkins. I add a larger bag should I plan to stray from civilization. 

Carabiner: A carabiner makes a very practical keyring and has a number of uses. Several of the items listed above can be conveniently carried on your keyring. If your gear has loops or rings it can be temporarily attached to the carabiner when you need your hands free. I sometimes use mine to carry shopping bags.

That concludes our basic list. A number of items but many of them can be acquired at very reasonable prices from sources such as ebay. Many of the items you may already have around the home.

In my previous article I suggest several EDC items that “up-level” your readiness. Where practical these should be stored in the same small pouch that can easily be added to your pocket contents. Another of the budget first aid pouches can be repurposed for this.

Pouch contents include:

• Fire Kit: Additional lighter, tinder in container, one or more candles. Fresel lens if you have one.
  
• Fishing Kit with Snares.
  
• Optional: About two thirds of a metre of cooking foil, ideally the heavier duty “turkey” foil. Carefully folded and rolled.
  
• Optional: Additional space blanket.
  
• Optional: Larger compass, with spare whistle. Using a firesteel necklace as the lanyard is an option to consider. Add a small snap-link and Photon light.
  
• Optional: Elasticated bandage. This came with one of my medical pouches. I don't include it in my daily EDC, but it is a useful addition to the higher readiness inventory.

If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.

The Books

4-4-4-4

Recently I was trying to relocate the following article:

http://www.90thidpg.us/Equipment/Articles/28Pack/index.html

This has some interesting information on the difference between a marching pack, combat pack and stripped-down “patrol pack”. 

Exploring the site further turned up an even more useful article:

http://www.90thidpg.us/Equipment/Articles/TravelLight/index.html

During my search, I stumbled across the following:

http://www.2ndbn5thmar.com/notes/CombatLoad.pdf

Of particular note is the “4-4-4-4” system. Don't get too hung up on the titles. Just understand that a clear distinction is being made between short duration operations and those that span more than one day, and for the latter a distinction is made between short and long duration. I would like to examine this scheme in a little more depth. “4-month” doesn't concern us today.

4-Hour Load.

• “Deuce” (webbing) gear and weapon.
• Helmet and Flak (regarded as “mission specific”)

• Whatever weather gear the marine is wearing. (i.e. marine is assumed to be suitably dressed for current conditions)

• A zip-loc bag of toilet paper is carried in a clothing pocket so it is still with the marine if any pack has been dropped.

•  NO pack. NO food. NO toilet kit, sleeping gear, weather gear, boot polish, shelter, nor spare clothing.

If it is a tactical situation the only things you should be carring are tactical gear and water.

To this I would make the following caveats:

A reasonable quantity of “pocket food” may be carried. This is such items as trail-mix, hard candy, biscuit/cookie packs etc. These can provide a useful energy boost. No food that requires cooking nor warming. Strictly no gum.

A poncho and/or rain jacket may be carried. No spare clothing does not apply to items such as gloves and bandannas.

The deuce gear is assumed to include one or two water bottles. In some climates extra water will be needed. Water is heavy, however, so the volume of water carried should not be so heavy as to increase the rate of water consumption. Just how much water that is might prove to be a useful research project. Water-bladders for carrying water is lighter than using conventional military water-bottles. Some tactical and mission-specific items are better carried on the back rather than on the webbing. For this purpose dedicated tactical packs (“Tac-Packs”) should be acquired.

4-Day Load.

The additional “4-day items” may be considered to constitute an approach load and should be capable of being cached before the deliberate tactical phase.

As 4-Hour load with the addition of:

4-Day Pack with food, 4-day washing kit, sleeping gear, weather gear and shelter. No spare clothing. No boot polish.

A case (12) MREs is suggested as four days food. Except in sub-zero operations this may be overly generous. Three eating periods a day may not be practical and troops not eating all of their rations often occurs. Two MREs a day may be more practical, with a useful quantity of components that can be eaten on the move.

A 4-day wash kit is a hand towel, 1oz/25mls tootpaste, one toothbrush, a bar of soap and “razors for 4 days”. No shampoo, no shaving cream, no extras nor spares. Shaving cream , incidentally, is totally unnecessary and has no place in any lightweight kit. Just use your soap. You do not need a brush.

“Razors for 4 days” is ONE razor. Small tubes of toothpaste are often sold with travel toothbrushes. Cutting a normal toothbrush down to 4 inches is suggested, and you might like to follow my advice and get a child-sized brush to begin with. The document suggests carrying soap in a plastic case such as a “chewing tobacco case”. I have no idea why people think they need to carry soap in a rigid case and expensive electronic gadgets in a soft pouch. Many of the soap cases that I have used over the years have turned out to be quite brittle and easily damaged. The best way to carry soap is in a small nylon drawstring pouch. The document also suggests that an empty plastic peanut-butter jar makes a good wash-kit container. Use a mesh bag instead. You can use a bandanna rather than a hand towel.

4-Week Load.

As 4-Day load, with the addition of a 4-week pack. 4-week pack includes food, 4-week wash kit, sleeping gear, weather gear, boot polish, shelter and spare clothing.

4-week wash kit includes replacement items such as extra razors, more toothpaste and more toilet paper. One bar of soap should last more than a month. I have been on 3-week plus trips and not used up 50mls of shampoo despite daily use. It may be prudent to have a “spares bag” of toiletry items from which you can replenish the 4-day kit when needed.

If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.
The Books

Soldier's Load : Sundries.

For many years I have been involved in various discussions on minimizing or optimizing the soldier’s load. Some of that discussion is not relevant to this blog. Some of it may be of interest to those readers that are servicemen, or those that are considering ways to reduce the weight of their own kits.

The issues of food and ammunition loads are be discussed on another day. We still hear accounts of troops carrying six days rations for operations that are not expected to last long enough to need fresh underwear! The topic of bedding and shelter I intend to address in a future article. Some of my thoughts can be found here.

 

 

Today’s blog addresses what might be termed “the sundries”.
 

Note that some of the following recommendations may contradict your unit’s SOPs and may not be permitted.
 

Part of being able to carry the stuff you really need is to not carry stuff you do not need. Personal mobile phones and music players have no place on an operation.

 

I will start with a discussion of the things that might be carried in your backpack.

Your washkit should not be in a multi-pocketted washroll. A simple mesh bag is lighter and better.  It should contain:

• Half a bar of soap in a small PU drawcord bag. Half a bar of soap is likely to last you ages out in the field. The bag can be made from scrap waterproof material and should be within the sewing abilities of anyone.
• One disposable razor. In the field the main purpose of shaving is to ensure that your respirator is a snug fit. You don’t have to be baby-faced or look like a male model. A single disposable razor should last you a couple of weeks. Cut a few inches off the handle to reduce weight and bulk further. If respirator use is unlikely consider a beard.
• Toothbrush. I doesn’t need to be a special camping or travelling model. Chop a few inches off the handle. Children's toothbrushes are more compact and seem to clean better.
• Small tube of toothpaste or tin of baking soda. A little will last you a very long time so do not carry too much.
• A low bulk towel. This may be a travel towel such as pertex, or better still half of one. Alternately your towel may be a spare bandanna or keffiyeh. If this is selected in a tactical colour it can be tied to your gear to dry in the wind.
• A small stick of deodorant might be included here. It reduces your “scent signature” and makes things a little more pleasant for whoever you share bedding with.
• A plastic comb is optional. Some people’s hair needs a lot of combing, some very little and others just have very little!

Note what is not included in this washkit. There is no shampoo. If you need to wash your hair make do with the soap. There is no shaving brush or foam. Use the face soap, it works fine. The shaving mirror is carried elsewhere and will be detailed later. A flannel is unnecessary. If you want, use a corner of your towel/ bandanna. The soldier should carry a Swiss army knife so there is no need for items such as nail clippers.

 

The wash kit goes in your “personal admin bag”. This bag may be a large pencil case or a simple sponge bag. Select something light and simple. Also carried in the personal admin bag is your repair kit.

 

Take a couple of sewing needles and stick their points in a piece of foam. If possible one of your needles should be a heavy-duty type such as a triangular-section sailmaker’s needle. Needles can be magnetized to act as emergency navigation aids. Place the needles in a small plastic bag and add several metres of “invisible” thread and a handful of safety pins of various sizes. A large “blanket pin” or two is worth including. A few yards of dental floss can be used for heavier repairs. Other uses of dental floss include as fishing line and cleaning your teeth! Add a couple of spare uniform buttons and rucksack buckles if you wish. Items such as folding scissors and thimbles are unnecessary. Use your Swiss army knife. In addition to the sewing items your repair kit should hold a small tube of superglue and a few metres of duct tape. The tape can be wound around an object such as a pencil. A few metres of electrician’s tape can be added too.

 

The personal admin kit would not normally carry boot polish and other shoe cleaning items. For most operations this is not a priority. Boots can be cleaned before and after an operation. In exceptional circumstances it may be necessary to take shoe cleaning supplies. Seldom will it be necessary for each man to carry a full kit. More prudent is for just one member of the squad or team to carry a tin.

 

A vital thing your pack should carry is some toilet paper. Flatten a roll and place it in a plastic bag. Carry it somewhere in the rucksack where it will be readily available. Toilet paper can, of course, be used as tinder.

 

A weapon cleaning kit should be carried. At the minimum this should consist of a pull-through or bore snake with the correct size brush, half a toothbrush, small volume of solvent/ lubricant, a rag and some patches. Some of these supplies will be in the rucksack while some might be carried with the webbing. A unit should never have more than half of its weapons being cleaned at any time. A weapon cleaning kit may therefore be shared between two soldiers.

 

Extra clothing carried divides into spare items and supplementary. A spare set of underwear and at least one pair of spare socks should be in the pack. A small container of foot-powder can be carried with the spare socks. Additional spare socks can do double duty as carrying pouches or improvised mittens. A spare set of fatigues may or may not be carried. In some environments you can change into your dry spare set to sleep in at night. In the morning you redress in your “day” clothes. If weight is critical the spare set of fatigues should be one of the first items omitted.

 

Supplementary clothing includes such items as hats and gloves. In addition to your helmet you will need at least two hats. One should have a broad-brimmed and provide protection from the sun. The other should be a warm hat such as a watchcap or headover. This can be used as a nightcap when sleeping in the cold. Headovers are such useful items it is worth carrying more than one. Luckily they are of modest weight and bulk. You may be carrying more than one pair of gloves. You may have a heavy pair for wire or ropework and another pair for fine work. Glove liners are also very useful. When carried in your pack hats and gloves should be readily accessible in a pocket, not at the bottom of the pack under other gear. Add a snaplink to your gear so you can stow your gloves when your pockets are full of other items.

 

In the past soldiers carried mess-tins and stoves. Innovations such as MREs and heating pouches have reduced the need for such items and often they are not carried. Any cooking or water heating that may be necessary can be performed with a metal canteen cup. Mess tins were also used to receive food from field kitchens. Having only a canteen cup may be insufficient if soldiers are fed this way. Large scale catering units may provide disposable plates. If cooking is at section or platoon level soldiers may need vessels in addition to their canteen cup. In such situations a pair of lightweight plastic bowls may be carried in the pack. A length of line can be added as a handle, allowing them to be carried like buckets. In this way a man with a pole or branch can carry food for several comrades.

 

Certain items should be carried in the jacket pockets or upper body. This includes a notebook, map protractor and writing implements. Pens malfunction. Carry at least one pencil.

 

Various bits of cordage, comms-cord etc is likely to be carried in jacket pockets.

 

A small mirror should also be carried in a breast or sleeve pocket. This should not be a heavy glass item as some armies issue. It should be plastic or made from a light piece of polished metal, such as a door fingerplate. This mirror is used for shaving but serves other purposes too. I can be used for signalling or can direct a spot of light to designate a point of interest. It can also be used to look around corners, over walls or under objects when searching. A laminated card with Morse code printed on one side should be kept with the mirror.

 

A lightweight plastic whistle should be carried, perhaps attached to the dogtag chain. Whistles are somewhat underused in the modern military. They can be used to raise an alarm or call for assistance. A small LED light such as the Photon II can also be added to the dogchain and will prove useful. Some soldiers use a betalight instead.

 

You are less likely to remove your trousers than your jacket or pack. Therefore your emergency gear is carried in your trouser pockets. You should be able to sleep comfortably with these items in place. Pad them with spare socks or cordage if necessary

 

A fire kit can be carried in one of the thigh pockets. This should be relatively simple and compact: Two disposable lighters, a birthday cake candle and a container of vaseline-soaked cotton wool for tinder. A tub of storm matches might also be added. This is wrapped up in a waterproof bag. An additional lighter for “everyday use” may be carried somewhere else such as a sleeve pocket.

 

In the same pocket as the fire kit a simple fishing kit can be carried. This should consist of about six metres of braided line. Hooks should be already tied to monofilament with a snap-link swivel at the other end. Split shot may be already tied to these lines. A few mackerel feather lures can be included in this kit. Items such as extra split shot should be packed so that it does not rattle. Add a few metres of brass wire to this kit. Brass picture-hanging wire can be an economical source of the latter.

 

In many situations trapping or fishing may not be tactically feasible. If an enemy discovers your trap or trot line they may lay an ambush or set booby traps. A kit of the sort suggested takes up very little room or weight and the cordage and hooks may be used for other purposes.

 

In the other cargo pocket is a small first aid kit. Field dressings are for major injuries. The first aid kit is a “boo-boo” kit for more minor injuries that may become a problem if not treated. The kit should contain painkillers, band-aids and alcohol wipes. Important medication such as anti-malarial drugs is also carried here. Choice of other medical kit contents is a matter of personal preference but it is important to distinguish between “nice to have” and “very likely to be needed”. The kit should remain small and compact so that is always carried on the solder’s person. Additional medical items can be carried in the personal admin bag.

 

Carried with the pocket first aid kit is one of the most useful survival devices of all: A foil space blanket.

 

Depending on the climate small quantities of sun lotion and/or insect repellent are carried in the pockets or webbing. Larger volumes to refill these containers are carried in the pack.

 

The soldier’s Swiss army knife should be carried in the trousers or on a pouch on the trouser belt. A small sharpening stone should be carried too.

 

Intermediate between the contents of the pack and the pockets is the soldier’s webbing. Primary purpose of the webbing is to carry ammunition and mission gear. Ammunition and related issues may be dealt with in another post. Today I will concentrate on other webbing-related loads.

 

The modern soldier should carry a number of plastic zip ties, aka cable ties or flexicuffs. Select “tactical” colours. These can be laid along a belt and tucked behind a pouch. They are secured in this position by a couple of rubber bands or pieces of elastic. The primary role is for securing prisoners and suspects. Another potential use is to secure double doors by binding the handles together.

 

The webbing gear should also carry at least one litre of water. Conventionally this will be in a rigid plastic water bottle. One problem with such bottles is that if they have been partially emptied the water sloshing around inside can hinder quiet movement. If you fall on a rigid bottle it will hurt a lot! The British 58 pattern water bottle is designed so that the plastic mug fits over the top. In other words you have to remove the cup before you can drink from the bottle.

 

Water bladders such as the Camelback and Platypus brands have become popular in the last few decades. Larger volume bladders are either carried in the pack or worn as a pack and can be drank from by a sip tube. Having a litre or two of water with your belt order is still prudent even if you use a larger water supply in your pack. Some one-litre bladders will fit in an issue water bottle pouch. Unlike rigid bottles air can be squeezed out of a partially full bladder to reduce sloshing noises. A supply of water purification tablets should also be carried with your belt gear or in a pocket in your clothing

 

The belt order may include a metal canteen cup. This is used for any cooking in the field that needs to be done. It is also used to pasteurize water if purification tablets cannot be used or supplies conserved. For the British soldier the primary purpose of the canteen cup is to make tea.

 

One of the lightest ways to make tea is to use three six-inch nails to support the cup over a small fire. A number of armies have issued cookers specifically designed to work with canteen cups. The American Natick cookers are designed to fit around a canteen instead of a cup. The GI would carry one canteen with a cup around it, the other with the stove around. The British Crusader system has a metal cup that fits over the bottom of the water bottle and a stove that the cup nests in. Since the plastic mug fits over the top of the issue water bottle this can be carried as well if you desire. An improved stove, the “Crusader II” or “Fire dragon” is slightly taller and the capacity of the metal cup has been increased too. This has resulted in the issue of a water bottle pouch that is 12” deep in order to accommodate the stove, bottle and cup(s) in one package. This is obviously less than idea. More practical may be to carry your water bottles/ bladders in separate pouches to the stove and cup. The space inside the cup can be used to carry some fuel for the stove. It will also accommodate a brew kit.

 

 

 

The basic brew kit is tea bags, sugar, powdered milk/creamer and a plastic spoon/ spork. Carry sugar even if you do not normally take it in your hot drinks. Sugar is energy and your body will often give you a sweet tooth if it feels the need. Artificial sweeteners have no place in your kit! A couple of OXO cubes provide variety. In cold climates when you will be brewing up often a couple of packet soups provide additional variety. Instant coffee is not worthy of the name. Carry some coffee bags. Good coffee requires water that has cooled down a bit from boiling. Heat till water just begins to bubble and then remove from heat before adding coffee bag.

 

A small flashlight such as a mini-maglite can be added to a pocket or the brew pouch. This is used for jobs that more powerful weapon-mounted lights are not suitable for. It should be of a form that you can easily hold in your mouth or tuck in a hatband. A red filter should be fitted. A few metres of tape can be wrapped around the handle.

 

What navigation aids you carry will depend on your role and training. While land navigation skills should be encouraged, many riflemen only need a broad idea of direction during an operation. A wrist-mounted compass may provide adequate and convenient.

 

Most modern bayonets are weighty and of limited utility. A stout but short knife of under 11" length should be carried over the weak-side pectoral muscle. This can be mounted on a suspender/ brace but must be positions so that it does not interfere with any backpack straps. I discus the merits, uses and features of such a knife in my books “Survival Weapons: Optimizing Your Arsenal” and “Crash Combat”.

 

Most units have SOPs on where field dressings are to be carried. This is so a comrade can immediately locate a dressing when it is needed. Therefore such SOPs must be followed. A bullet often creates both and exit and an entry wound. At least two field dressings should be carried by each soldier.

The distribution of entrenching tools poses some interesting questions. One train of thought is for them to be only carried by half a force. This makes the assumption that half the force will be on guard while the other digs. A few extra tools may be handy if the threat is not immediate but the task must be completed as quickly as possible. If better tools are available, such as from vehicle pioneer kits the carrying of personal entrenching tools may be redundant. Ideally a range of tools should be carried by a unit. Fixed blade spades should be supplemented by picks, pick/mattocks (M1943), trench axes and similar. A few crowbars or axes with the squad will be of more use in an urban environment than entrenching tools. A soldier should carry one “tool”, be it spade, M1943, crowbar, trench axe etc.

 

On the march such tools are best carried in the pack. During an assault they may be transferred to the webbing. Such tools are also used as weapons so the practice of slipping them through the belt for easy access is often seen. In this light the issue of bulky carrying cases to carry entrenching tools on the belt must be questioned. As was discussed on the recent blog on tomahawks a simple carrying loop may be all that is needed if some means of muzzling the edge and any points is provided.

 

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